Aslumber
by Sanquil
Summary: Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria... an evil force, banished long ago by the Princess of the Sun, Celestia, has resurfaced. Now, it is up to Twilight, accompanied by her friends, to stop this threat. This story was originally posted on FIMFiction. If you like this story, go check out my others!
1. Nightmares and Magic

"Spike! Have you found that book yet?" Twilight Sparkle inquired, getting impatient.

"No Twi, I haven't!" The small purple dragon replied, "Where should I start, if you never told me the title of the book?" Spike stood in the main room of the library, observing the bookshelves that lined the walls, as if waiting for the right book to just go "Here I am!"

"'Revelations in dream magic'. It should be in the box of new books (despite it being over 500 years old)." Twilight trotted into the room, carrying an enormous bag, completely empty, except for a couple rolls of parchment. "It should be a large tome. Celestia said that it is a book currently being studied at Canterlot. I want to take a look at what kind of spells are within." With the ease of her magic, she brought the box to her, carried by Spike, who was dragged along for the ride.

Tearing open the box, Twilight rummaged through the contents and quickly threw most of it's contents around the library. It was about time the Ponyville Library got some new material. She had read over every book in the building at least once. About half of the entire box was consumed by Daring Do books, which She was sure Rainbow Dash would approve of.

"Aha!" Twilight exclaimed triumphantly. She held in front of her a large tome. The front cover had the picture of clouds and stars. The title read, as Twilight had said, "Revelations in Dream Magics" by Duke of Slumber. "There is one spell in particular that I want to see. It is supposed to have the ability to remove nightmares from a pony."

"Why would you need that spell, Twi? Have you been having nightmares?" Spike asked, worriedly. Twilight didn't answer.

As Twilight fumbled throughout the pages, she stopped periodically to read something. After a little while, she found the spell she had been searching for.

"I've found it!" She exclaimed happily. Reading the page, her face scrunched up. "It says here that to preform the spell, I'll need some special ingredients."

"What are these ingredients?" Spike inquired. He walked around Twilight to get a look at the page. "It can't be too hard to find them."

"That's where you're wrong, Spike." Twilight responded, closing the book. "The ingredients listed here are some that I've never heard of."

"Like?"

"Hm... 'Fallen Starlight, Solar Flares, Dreamweave...' All of these items have some weird name to them." Twilight placed the large tome within the saddlebags around her sides, being careful not to crumple the parchment. "Well, no time like the present. Let's go Spike." She lifted the dragon onto her back and left the library.

"Where are we going, Twi?" Spike asked as he saw her heading towards the Everfree Forest.

"If anypony knows what these items are, it'll be Zecora." Twilight made her way around the forest, being careful not to stumble into any poison joke. Within minutes, they approached the zebra's hut.

"Zecora, are you home?" Twilight asked into the hut, opening the door. "Ah, there you are." Zecora was there, brewing up some weird zebra potion, as usual. "I need you to help me with these ingredients to a spell."

"Ah, My dear friend." Zecora greeted, "Allow me to comprehend." Zecora took the book from Twilight, and flipped to the bookmarked page. "Hm, a spell to solve a nightmare, for a magical mare? To obtain these items of of which you seek, you will need to find one with tastes of antique."

"So, I should go talk to the princesses?" Twilight asked, looking Zecora in the eyes.

"Yes, but I must warn you of the quest you are about to embark. You are dealing with something very dark." Zecora was looking grave and worried.

As Twilight Sparkle trotted up to the Ponyville train station, she turned to Spike.

"Spike," She said, "I need you to stay here and watch over the library. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, sure." Spike responded. He looked saddened. "Be sure to bring me back a snow globe this time, alright?" He left her there, at the door to her train. Little did he know about the danger approaching.


	2. Making an Entrance

Twilight had arrived in Canterlot around noon. The train ride was short, but it felt as if it took an eternity. The only thing that she could think about during the ride was her nightmare. It was a recurring one, coming every night for weeks now. She knew it had been a dream by the third time she had, but she had no control over it, as if it weren't her own, but somepony else's dream.

In the dream, she was walking through the Canterlot gardens. The moon shone overhead, it's face giving off the light by which Twilight used to see. Something is troubling her, but she didn't know what. The ground is littered with inscriptions of some weird language. She doesn't know what the characters are, yet she knows exactly what they mean. She approaches one symbol in particular. Something about this one is special, but she can't put her hoof on it.

She reaches out with her hoof and touches it. Suddenly, the moon is blocked out, making it impossible to see. The symbol starts to glow, and just as suddenly as it started, it ends. Twilight thinks that it's over, but then a white beam shoots out of the symbol. More start to glow, and they all do the same. A chill covers Twilight abruptly, and leaves her rigid with fright.

For minutes, nothing happens. Then, from all around, a voice is heard. The voice laughs a mephistophelian laugh, filling the silent air with corrupt thoughts. In a deep and dark voice, the disembodied voice speaks.

"Thank you," It says to Twilight, "foolish pony for setting me free." At that point, Twilight awakes in a cold sweat, panting hard.

Twilight rounded the corner and trotted up to the gates of the Canterlot Castle. She expected to be stopped at the gate by some guards, but to her surprise, Luna is there, waiting for her. Advancing up to Luna, Twilight noticed that the princess of the night looked just as troubled as her.

"Twilight Sparkle," Princess Luna spoke with authority, "if you would please accompany me on a trip around the grounds."

As the two walked, Luna explained to Twilight that she knew what kind of dreams Twilight had been having recently. Luna also revealed that she was not the only mare having these freak nightmares, and that the source of the evil was unknown, even to the princess of the night.

"You see, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said, "these dreams are not of your own mind's doing. They are the product of an incredible evil. We ask that you proceed with your plans cautiously."

"Well, you see princess," Twilight responded, "I need you to shed some light on the ingredient list for my spell." Twilight removed the book from her saddlebags and gave it to Luna. The princess of the night looked over the pages that Twilight had shown her. After reading the spell's instructions and the required ingredients to it, she grew fearful.

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna spoke, "I must ask you to not preform this spell. It deals with dream magic not of this realm. Whoever created this spell was not of pure intent."

"Princess," Twilight interrupted, "do you know who created this spell? If it is so evil, why was it printed into a book that anypony could get their hooves on?" Twilight took the book back from Luna. The entire situation seemed unreal.

"I know not of who wrote the spell, but it's power is too much for our world to take. Do not, under any circumstance, use this spell." Luna gave Twilight her final warning.

As Twilight left the gardens, she knew something was going to go so wrong, she just didn't know what. To be honest, she was rather disappointed. She was looking forward to trying a new spell that would solve her problems with her recurring nightmare. Either way, it was getting dark, and the gift shop was closed. Looked as if she was staying in Canterlot for the night. Twilight did not dream for what part of the night she did sleep.

Twilight awoke suddenly. She observed her surroundings through squinted, tired eyes. The first thing she noticed were the plants. She stood, and took a better look at her surroundings. She was in the Canterlot Gardens. The ground was littered with strange inscriptions draw with chalk.

"How..." She was too stunned to speak. Everything looked like it did in her dreams. All the inscriptions were correct, and in the right places. The moon shone brightly overhead.

"No." Twilight said. "I will not fall for this. Luna gave me specific instructions to not activate this spell." As she mad her way to leave, she saw the shadow of a pony dart past her, making it's way to the symbol that activates it. "Wait!"

Twilight bound after it, intent on catching the intruder before it activated the spell. Closing in on the shadow, she leaped with all her might towards the figure. As she touched it with her hooves, it vanished, disappearing into the night. Twilight looked down at her hooves.

"Oh no." Beneath her hooves where she had banished the specter the inscription was right under her left hoof. It started to glow. It glowed brightly for several seconds, and then all of a sudden, shut off.

Twilight turned tail and tried to run, but was stopped by the fright catching her. She stood paralyzed, unable to anything but listen to humming of the glyphs. The wind picked up, and the moon was blocked out.

"Ha ha ha." The voice, darker in life, howled. "A-ha ha ha ha! Finally, I am free." Twilight wanted nothing more than to awake from this nightmare, except it wasn't a nightmare. "Thank you, foolish unicorn. Now that I am free, your world will be mine, and no pony can stop me. Now, sleep, my pony, sleep."


	3. Strange Remembrance

Walking down the street, Twilight Sparkle left her house on Forsworn Drive. Today was just like every other day: calm, slight wind, clouds in the sky. She really didn't want to go to work, but how else will she pay her bills? Her job was in the southern part of town, inside the factory district. She worked as the executive producer to a company that produced everyday household items, such as couches and tables.

Pegasi flew overhead, most likely getting the weather ready for the day. The flock of Pegasi were headed by a cyan pony with rainbow mane and tail. Twilight could tell the rainbow pony was holding back to let the other ponies catch up to her. Something about this pony was special, but she didn't know why. She felt as if she should know this pony, but the rainbow Pegasus was a complete stranger to her. Either way, Twilight's job was up ahead. Time to get her head out of the clouds.

Rainbow Dash flew overhead the city, admiring the layout and complexity of it all. She looked behind her and sighed. The other Pegasi in the weather team had fallen behind, again. She slowed her pace and let the ponies catch up. Honestly, she wished that they weren't so slow. As she waited, she examined the city again, but this time, looking at the ponies walking on the streets. One pony in particular stuck out for some reason. It was a purple unicorn, walking to the factory district. She knew this pony. She knew she knew. Rainbow Dash tried to place her hoof on it, but the other Pegasi had already caught up, and were getting ahead of her.

"Yo, RD!" One of the Pegasi said, this one had a brown coat and white mane and tail. His cutie mark was a cloud. "You coming or what?"

"Wha?" Snapping out of her day dream, Rainbow Dash looked ahead of her. The others were waiting on her. "Oh, yeah. I'm coming." As she caught up with the rest of the weather team, a pink pony passed by, heading towards the diner.

Pinkie Pie trotted down the road to the Taste of Dream cafe where she worked. She was in a depressed mood for some odd reason, and her body wouldn't stop doing weird thing, like a burning hoof. It was funny, her cutie mark is balloons for happiness and laughter, but she wasn't happy or laughing. The whole thing just seem... unreal. As she entered the cafe, she bumped into a white unicorn with an excellent purple mane. The mare stumbled, spilling some of her espresso.

"My bad." Pinkie said to the pony, and went inside.

"No problem, my dear." Rarity replied, sipping her espresso. The pink pony left inside the coffee shop. Rarity couldn't shake the feeling that she knew this pony. She did seem familiar. "Oh well."

Leaving the diner, Rarity headed towards her home. Unlike most ponies in a time like this, she had the ability to stay home to do housemare stuff. Her husband worked for the royal castle, giving them the luxury of life. Although, now that she thought about it, her husband, Hoity Toity, seem more of a stranger to her than that of the pink pony. Right now, Hoity Toity was probably consulting with the king about some royal stuff she didn't really care about.

As if by a moment of déjà vu, this other random pony caught her eye. This one had an orange-ish coat and blonde mane and tail. She wore a cowboy hat. She was as much of a strange as the pink pony who bumped into her, but yet, she felt as if she knew, or should know, this mare. This day was getting quite strange.

Applejack crossed the street, heading off to foalsit the foals of the Cakes, her most frequent customers. The day was nice. Maybe she'll take the foals to the park today. Applejack admired the cloud work of the Pegasi. They made such a difficult of cordination and planning seem as if it were as simple as watching two adorable foals. Truth be told, as much as she admired the weather ponies, she wouldn't want her life any other way. As she looked at the Pegasi, one Pegasus stood out to her. This one had a cyan coat, and rainbow streaked mane and tail. She knew not why this pony stuck out, but she did.

"Oh well," Applejack said to herself, "Cup and Carrot Cake are probably waiting on me to arrive." She set off to the Cake house.

Emerging from an alleyway, Fluttershy poked her head out to see if the orange pony was still there. She was, and Fluttershy retreated back into the darkness of the alley. The day had just begun, but she had already gotten the feeling of knowing five strangers. She didn't like it, and it scared.

She had always been easily scared. The smallest things could scare her even if they weren't scary. This feeling was uneasy, and it scared her how she felt as if she should know these ponies. She knew the only thing she could do is hide from the five ponies as to not get scared. This alley will work just fine for now, but if she stayed here too long, the darkness will inevitably scare her just as much as the strange ponies.

"Yes." The voice spoke, this time taking the form of a unicorn, dressed regally in purple and deep night blue silver armor. "Everything is working. Celestia," He called out to his servant, "Please bring me another coffee, extra cream."

"Yes sir."


	4. The King's Domain

Celestia left room quickly, as to not upset the king. She trotted across the castle to locate the royal coffee shop. (yes, the king wanted one.) Although Celestia was just there, she couldn't remember ever being in the castle, except for the room she just exited from. After scrambling around aimlessly for several minutes, she located the shop.

Returning to the king's chambers, Celestia floated the coffee ahead of her, the cream melting and threatening to spill over the side of the cup. She felt as if something about her was missing. Her memories showed her as a unicorn all her life, but her body told her something was missing. She felt the need to stretch her wings and fly out the balcony. The only problem was that she didn't have wings. She never did, and never will.

"Here you go, sir." Celestia floated the king his coffee, allowing his magical field to wrap around the cup, and she let go.

"Thank you." He replied, not looking at her, "You are dismissed." Celestia left his presence, leaving him to his thoughts.

"I never thought," The king began, "it would be this easy." He surveyed the kingdom that was his, and his alone. "I now own everything and everyone in Equestria, and at the rate this is going, nothing will ever overthrow me." He said this with confidence. "Not even the great Celestia can challenge me here. In this realm, I am everything." He turned around swiftly, his long silver cape swishing outward, and approached the ponnequin where his armor rested. Putting on the elegant silver armor, he called for Celestia again.

"Yes sir?" Celestia said, entering his chambers yet again.

"Call together my chariot group." The Dream King commanded, "Tell them to get ready. We're going to see the peasants." In actuality, the king just wanted to see if the bearers of the Elements of Harmony remembered their true identity. If the six ponies didn't know each other, then the odds of them realizing the truth was slim to none.

"Sir?" A guard approached the king.

"Yes?" He responded, turning to face his guard. "What is it?"

"Your chariot awaits."

The king chuckled to himself, "Good. I'll be down in a minute. I just need to make a quick check that I have everything." The guard then left without a word, walking backwards out the door. The king swiveled back towards the balcony. He surveyed the area, and using his magic, pinpointed to location of the six ponies he would be visiting, seemingly by random.

He left his chambers, closing the large silver doors with his magic behind him. As he boarded his chariot in the garden, he paused. A strange feeling came about him, enclosing his very being. He felt as if an something alien had just entered his very realm. That would be impossible. Nopony in all of Equestria possessed the power to intrude upon his kingdom without his consent, yet, he couldn't shake this feeling of intrusion.

"As long as it doesn't interfere with my plan," He whispered to himself, so the chariot pullers wouldn't overhear, "I don't care what it is."


	5. Dawn of Twilight

Twilight's day had been boring, as usual. Nopony had anything important to see her about, she made sure about that. The entire was consumed basically by the thought of the rainbow maned Pegasus she saw. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to remember the stranger.

"Ms. Sparkle," A pony said, trotting into the office, excited, "The king has just come to say hello to all of us. Can you believe it?"

"Huh?" Twilight snapped out of her daydream, turning to the stallion. "Oh, I guess so." The king, to her knowledge, didn't go traveling across this part of town too often. Something must be up.

"You gotta get down here fast." The stallion said, "He wants to see you person..."

"Excuse me." The king spoke, nudging the worker aside. "Hello, Twilight Sparkle, how are you today?" His tone was soft, but Twilight saw straight through his falsehood. He wanted something from her, whatever it might be. "Would you please leave us?"

"Y-yes sir." Bowing, the stallion left the office at once. One doesn't delay if commanded to do something by the King of Dreams. Twilight watched as the worker left, and as the door was covered in a shroud of dark blue magic. The king closed the door, and then proceeded to lock it. He didn't want interruptions.

"So," Twilight started, "what do you want?" She decided to take the head on approach and confront him. No point in wasting either of their time.

"Ah, so you know I didn't come on a whim." The king replied, "Clever girl. Anyways, I just wanted to ask you a few questions. No harm in that, right?" He turned to her, after observing the random nick knacks scattered across the room, along with the pictures of her pets. She had a fish, hamster, owl, and rabbit.

"No, I guess not." Twilight replied, eying the king suspiciously. "Well, we might as well start. There's no point in wasting time."

"Indeed, there is not point." The king opened his satchel he carried with him, and proceeded to sort out various sketches, pictures, and notes. Finding the pictures he was looking for, he floated them towards Twilight. "Take a look at these, and tell me if you know any of them."

Twilight Sparkle gazed long and hard at each of the pictures. The thing is, all the ponies seemed familiar, and the rainbow pony was in the mix. The whole situation was becoming unreal. She felt herself slip from reality, sudden memories of recent dreams returning, involving any or all of these ponies. She knew them, but she didn't. She had seen them walk around town, and go about their daily lives, just like her. She couldn't think straight. She just had to get out of that office, had to go and lay down for awhile.

"N-no." Twilight said to the king, "None of these ponies are familiar. Is there anything else, I need to leave as soon as possible." She swayed slightly, feeling dizzy. _Please let this be the end of the interview._

"No, there isn't." He replied, placing the pictures back into his satchel. "Sorry to interrupt your day. It... was a pleasure."

The king exited the office, followed shortly by Twilight. He entered his chariot, and hiding his face, he smiled wickedly. His plan was working so far. He just had to talk to five more special ponies to be safe. Next stop, a pink pony by the name of Pinkie Pie.


	6. Bundle of Laughter

The king's chariot moved down the streets of the business district. He had already told where to go next. No more business was to be made inside this section of the city.

As the king waited for the chariot pullers to reach the destination, he thought. He contemplated his plan, and how well everything seemed to pan out and work in his favor. Nothing had troubled him since it was set into action. It had gone flawlessly.

_Except,_ his subconscious spoke, _for the rogue invader._

_What difference could it make?_ He spoke to it.

_It could make all the difference._ His subconscious retorted sharply, as if it weren't his own thought.

"Sir." One of the pullers spoke up. "We've arrive at the destination you specified." His internal conflict had left him unaware of the surroundings. In fact, he started to waver out of his realm as he concentrated on winning the argument with his inner self. If it had carried on much longer, he would have completely disappeared, leaving the area in chaos, ruining his plan.

"Oh." The king spoke, stabilizing his form before anypony noticed. "Thank you."

Exiting the chariot, the king strode quickly up to the cafe in front of him. "The Espresso Lane", the sign read. The pink pony by the name of Pinkie Pie worked within this building.

"Hello, faithful subjects," The king spoke regally, "I've just come by on casual terms to say hello and see what the life of normal ponies are." He surveyed the room, enjoying the royal treatment he was receiving. _This,_ he thought, _I could get used to._ "Would it be okay with all of you if I buy everypony a drink while I have a conversation with the pony by the name of Pinkie Pie? Everypony acted exactly as expected. They were all for the idea.

Pinkie Pie stepped forward. She looked the king up and down, surveying him. After a long speculation, she came to her conclusion.

"I have no objections." She said in her high, peppy waitress voice. Even when she suspected the king, she had a appearance to maintain.

"Good. Now, if you would just follow me." The king lead Pinkie into a back room, and like with Twilight's interrogation, he locked it to avoid interruptions.

"So, whatcha want to ask me?" Pinkie started the conversation. " I'm quite busy right now, so please keep this fast."

"Okay, I see." The king replied kindly, "Then this works for the both of us. I, too, am quite busy today." He went through the same procedure as he did with Twilight Sparkle. He removed six pictures from his satchel, and after looking through them, he replaced the one that was Pinkie Pie. "Please take a look through these photographs and tell me if any of the ponies are familiar.

Pinkie Pie looked through the five pictures. After some time, she decided that none were truly familiar to her, except the white one with a lavish purple mane and tail. She's the same pony she bumped into walking into the cafe for work. She expected that it was something that was seriously important to the suspicious ruler.

"No." She said flatly. "I don't recognize any of the ponies in these photos. Will this be all?"

"Interesting," The king contemplated, placing the pictures back in his satchel, "and before you leave, I have one last question for you, if you have the time."

"Shoot." She replied quickly.

"Okay then." The king strode around Pinkie, turning so he was behind the pink pony. "Have you been experiencing any weird feeling, like a burning hoof or itchy nose?"

Pinkie Pie froze, locked in place from the question. It caught her completely off guard, and the king now knew it. Lying would be obvious. She now had to speak truth.

"Yes." She sighed. "I have been experiencing these feeling."

"I see." The king walked back around, unlocking the door. "This concludes our conversation. You may leave now, Pinkie Pie." all hints of kindness had faded from his voice, and now he needed to leave as soon a possible.

The king hopped into his chariot, calling forth his chariot pullers. He gave them the location of the next stop. He sat down on the pillow in his chariot, thinking hard.

_This could be bad._ He spoke to his subconscious yet again.

_Could be?_ It replied. _Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense still remains, and who knows what power it could hold. This, combined with the rogue presence, could obliterate your entire plan._

"Would you SHUT UP about that?" He scream, louder than he expected. The chariot stopped, and the door open.

"Sir, are you alright?" A concerned chariot puller said.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just continue with your job, please." The king sat back down, sighing. His subconscious would not stop until he confronted the intruder.

_I'll check it out after we've finished with this._ He concluded with his subconscious.


	7. Acres upon Acres

_It would be more convenient for you to visit the pony by the name of Rarity seeing a she is located not too far from here. Why are you traveling several streets in the opposite direction?_ The king's subconscious questioned his motives.

_You know,_ The kings replied, _even though you are me, and I'm probably crazy for carrying on a conversation with you, you don't seem to know much. I would guess that you would be able to know why, but apparently not._

_You didn't answer my question._

The king sighed, looking out of the window of his chariot. His subconscious acted as if it wasn't even him. It was strange.

"Sir." The puller spoke up. "We have arrived at your destination. I must ask though, why are you having us stop in the residential district?"

"That," The king spoke, looking the mare in the eyes, "is none of your business." He strapped his satchel to his back, and stood up. Using his magic, he opened the door to the chariot and stepped out. As he stepped out, the sky clouded. No doubt it was part of the Pegasi's weather forecast. It started out as a light drizzle. By the time the king got to the Cake's house, the drizzle turned into a full blown storm, with the wind whipping his long, dark blue mane in his face.

The king reached his hoof up to knock on the door, but suddenly, it opened. Standing in front of him was an orange mare with blonde mane and tail. In the background, he could hear the sound of foals crying.

"Please excuse my intrusion. Is this a bad time?" The king poked his head into the house, but couldn't see where the two foals, Pumpkin and Pound Cake, were.

"Mah lord," The mare spoke, bowing down, "please do come in." She ushered the king into the house. "What brings you to the Cake's household? If you wanted to speak with them, they've left for a night out. Honestly, Ah can see why. Ah love these foals, but they can be a pain. Mah king, can Ah please..."

"Please stop." The king interrupted. "You are worst than Pinkie Pi.. oops! Forget I said that, Applejack."

"Pinkie... Pie?" Applejack said. Her mind went reeling. The name was extremely familiar to her, but she didn't know why. "What is it you want, mah king?"

"I need to ask you a question, if that's quite fine." He sat down, relaxing on the pillow chair on the floor.

"It's quite fine but," Applejack followed suit. "May Ah ask a favor of you?" She bit her lower lip, her mane disheveled by trying at the foals.

"It's done." The king bent down, his horn glowing silver. A loose wave of sliver magic left his horn, and sought out the source of the noise, replacing it with the sound of sleep. "Now, I will ask you my question." Following his routine that her worked himself into, he pulled out the six pictures, and removed Applejack's photo from the group.

"Please," He floated the pictures towards Applejack. "Do any of these ponies seem familiar to you? I'm counting on your honesty here."

Applejack studied the five ponies for some time, taking note of each one. Truthfully, they were all very familiar, especially the pink one, which she knew was Pinkie Pie. Being the honest pony she was, Applejack couldn't lie to her king, but couldn't tell him the full truth. Something strange, and suspiciously dark was at work.

"Well," Applejack spoke at last, looking the King of Dreams in his silver eyes. "to be honest, they are all familiar, but Ah've never seen them before." She could tell that the king both liked and disliked her answer.

"Okay." The king put the pictures back in his satchel and stood up."Thank you for your time, Applejack." He turned and left. There was still much to do, and so little time left in the day.

The rain had worn itself down, bringing it to a pleasing, light rain. Before stepping into the chariot, the king stood outside for a few seconds, letting the raindrops pat his head.

_You do know it isn't REAL rain, right?_ His subconscious again. It loved ruining his moments. The king climbed back into the chariot.

_Define your definition of "real"._ He retorted. _To me it is real. This rain I've lived with for five HUNDRED years. It's the only feeling I remember of rain._

_We're straying off topic._ His subconscious said, trying to hide the fact it lost. _Applejack remembers, and that is a crucial thing that needs fixing._

_I know. I suspect the all of them have remembrance of each other. It can't be helped. We just don't want them being friends. THAT would be catastrophic._

_Which one are you visiting next?_

_I'm going to see if Rainbow Dash knows anything._

_You know you're overlooking a very important piece in play, _If a subconscious could smirk, his was right now, _and if you continue to ignore it, it will bring about your downfall. You have been warned._


	8. Rainbows After the Storm

The king ditched his chariot back at his castle. Since all of his pullers were earth ponies, they couldn't accompany him to the Pegasi land in the clouds, and he can't add wings to all of them. His guards weren't too keen with the fact he was leaving without some security. To ease their nerves, he agreed to bring two Pegasus guards with him. Right now, privacy isn't the most important to him.

Flying through the air, the king admired his work. All of this he worked on for centuries, and it finally is occupied by somepony other than himself.

_I did this_ He thought to himself, feeling the wind whip through his mane. Flying has been a pass time he missed. The Pegasi cloud section of the city lay just ahead of him. From the lowest of the clouds, rainbows poured out, showering the rest of the city below with a beautiful sight, courtesy of the talented Rainbow Dash.

All the clouds had dissipated, being they wore themselves out with the rain not sixty minutes ago. The bright sun shown high in the sky. Celestia did grace her land with something of monumental beauty. Luna blessed the ponies with something better, though: the moon, a symbol of rest and dreams, his domain. Though the night was ignored by most ponies, it was still of great importance to their world, whether they liked it or not.

_Quit daydreaming._ His subconscious awoke him from his daze. _You have work to do._

Up ahead was the weather team, all relaxing from a tough day on the job. Rainbow Dash lounged in a hot tube made of rainbow, while everypony else did other thing. She was already alone, making his job slightly easier. The king had his guards escort the other members of the weather team out the room, then following them into the hall.

"My king." Rainbow Dash, being the pony she was, stayed calm and acted as if he were a good friend, not even bothering to exit the hot tub. "What brings you here to me?"

"Rainbow Dash," The king spoke with power, his voice resonating off the cloud walls. "I, the king, need you to answer a question for me." After all the times he's already done this, it sounded quite stupid.

"Shoot." She fell back into the tub a little more, her front hooves completely submerged in the multicolored liquid.

"Okay." He stumbled, surprised at how cool she acted, even in front of him, the King of Dreams. "I need you to look through these five pictures and tell me if you know anypony in them." He resumed his routine of pulling all six out, finding the one of the pony he was currently talking to, and placing it back into his satchel strapped to his back. He then floated the five remaining pictures to Rainbow Dash, who sat up a little to grasp the photos with her wings.

"Hm." Rainbow Dash thought. All ponies looked familiar to her, and one she had already seen today. The purple unicorn she saw trotting down towards the factory district this morning.

"Well," She said finally, deciding on what to say, "I must say, you have a weird hobby of taking pictures of pretty mares, but none really are friends of mine. I can't say I've met them." The king smiled, happy with what he heard.

"Okay, sorry to bother you." He said, faking his kindness. "I'll be off, now." He called his guards back into the room, and flew out the terrace.

_Well that went better than expected._ He finalized.

_What do you mean "better than expected"? What were you expecting?_ His subconscious questioned him, like always seemed to do.

_Simple, really._ He replied, making it sound obvious. _I expected Rainbow Dash to be a problem because he constitution is so much high than the other five, and not even she could recall her closest friends. I think it's time to close our questioning. I've got all that I want and am certain that the Elements of Harmony won't intervene._

_Okay._ His subconscious tried to analyze every aspect of his plan, and assumptions. There were a couple of flaws in it, but in all, it was a genius plan. There is still one thing you've left out of your plan, and if you don't act, it will bring you downfall. It brought the rogue being back into question, letting the king know what it thought about his "plan". It's tone was eerie, as if it knew what was coming, and was gloating it's knowledge to the king.

_If you are so stuck on that rogue, I will check it out. If it turns out to be nothing, you don't want to know what I'll do to you._

_I'm your subconscious,_ It said to him, almost as if it were trying to convince him that it was truly his subconscious, making itself suspicious under the king's eye, _what are you going to do without harming yourself?_


	9. Counteraction

_Are you sure leaving the last two Element Bearers alone is such a good idea?_ His subconscious just couldn't agree with anything he did. Was there no pleasing it?

_You know,_ The king responded, weary of the constant disapproval that his subconscious was giving him, _I __**DON'T**__ need to please you on everything I do._ The king then proceeded to ignore his subconscious. He couldn't run a country while he argued with himself all the time.

The day had been long, and the sun started setting on the west horizon. The king decided to sleep worry about the anomaly in the morning. Truth be told, his subconscious was right to be suspicious. At first, it was just a small thing, nothing more than a mouse, figuratively speaking. Now, the importance and power of it has grown to the size of... well, he couldn't decide, but to put it simply, it made his palace look like a filly's dollhouse. For once, he feared that it could cause true harm. Either way, there was no way he was going to confront it in the middle of the night.

Stalking through the shadows, a mysterious pony avoided all life, making sure that _he_ didn't see her. This was a game of wit. One couldn't meet the other, or else it was all over. If she found him, she couldn't stop him without some help, and if he was to see her, everything would be ruined.

Focusing, her horn started to glow dark blue. She searched for them. finding those ponies would be all she needed to stop the Dream King, and tear down the empire he stole. Just her luck lately. All that she were looking for were in a dream state. It would be impossible to bring them out of this while they lingered so deep inside. Wait, she overlooked one pony. Of course she would be awake. This place probably kept her from sleeping. Thank Celestia that she is the way she is.

Traversing the city blocks that intertwined, making a confusing labyrinth of near identical houses, she finally found her. Before she could approach, the mare stumbled farther into the darkness, trying not to be spotted. She smiled, knowing that the mare still wasn't changed by his magic, unlike her sister.

"It's okay." The mare spoke softly, to appease to the liking of the pony she was tracking. She dared not to look at her, for fear she run. "I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I'm trying to do the opposite." the mare slowly moved into the streetlight, allowing her to see the mare. She was beautiful, with a long flowing pink mane and tail. Her coat was a pastel yellow, making her seem to slightly glow in the light.

"Who... who are you?" The pony spoke softly, almost inaudibly.

"My dear," She looked into the pony's eyes, "everything will be clear here soon enough. Just relax, and all your fear will dissipate." Her horn started to glow, softly at first, then brighter, and soon enough, it out shined the streetlamps. She enveloped the timid, yellow pony in her magic.

"Eep!" The pony yelp, and tried to run, but was caught in the field of magic.

"It's okay." She said, not breaking her concentration. "Just relax, and you'll be fine, Fluttershy."


	10. The Dream King

"Gah!" The king shot up, awoken from a disturbed slumber. Something was off, but he couldn't place his hoof on it. Huffing, he got out of bed, and opened the doors to his balcony, letting the cool night wind whip his mane around. Gazing at the city lights, he smiled. All the ponies enjoying themselves, despite who he was, made him truly happy. It was funny, in a way. He couldn't remember the last he was happy. His life before his banishment seemed to be nothing but despair and disappointment. He tried to recall his life before he was sent to this place, his prison, and yet his escape from all the evil and sorrow in the world.

His story is one of quite immense sorrow. It all started when he was just a little colt. He hadn't even gotten his cutie mark when his mother, the joy of his life, passed away, leaving him with his disapproving father. His father expected great things of his son, and when his mother passed away, they grew apart. His father was rarely home, drinking himself into a stupor pretty much every night, coming home just to remind him how much of a failure he was, being out of school, and was still a blank flank.

One day, after his father returned from the local bar, being as drunk as ever. His father was in a rampage, tearing through the house, destroying most of the remaining belonging of his late mother. Turning on his son, he unleashed his rage. Yelling all the obscenities in the book, swearing up and down that his failure was the cause of his mother. His hoof went up, and came down, finding it's mark on his son's face, scarring him forever.

He couldn't take it. The constant verbal, and now physical, abuse he was receiving from his father pushed him over the edge. Concentrating, he will his father to sleep, bringing an end to his rage. With that one spell, he got his cutie mark, a pillow under a crescent moon, to represent sleep. But he hadn't realized the power of his magic. The spell was one of a great magnitude, putting his father into a coma.

Unable to reverse his sleep magic, his father soon passed away. Now orphaned and living off nothing but his wit, he ventured into the world. He quickly turned to a life of crime, stealing from anypony he could, casting them into eternal slumber. Eventually, Celestia received word of this, and sent a nationwide pony hunt for him.

Not long after it happened, he was detained, and his life hung on the balance of the great ruler of Equestria. Her punishment, as decided by the royal princess of the sun and her cabinet, is eternal banishment to the very place he sent his victims. So he was cast into the dream realm, where his physical body would be held in the Canterlot dungeon, and his mind be forever locked inside a dream. He would cease to age, and live an eternal life of solitude. That was the plan, until he manipulated Twilight Sparkle, and was freed from his prison.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, and hit the ground with a soft _plop_. Even after all this time, he still hadn't forgiven his father, and missed his mother dearly. This empire he has built is his only happiness now.


	11. The Rogue and the Softspoken

The sun dawned, even without the help of the princess of the sun, Celestia, to bring it up. It was delayed by several hours, but it came nevertheless. Only the magic of a great unicorn, or alicorn for that matter, could keep such a magnificent, divine object at bay.

Peaking over the crest of the Canterlot Mountains, the sun gave light to the western side of Equestria, but with no pony to greet it's arrival, except for two. Luna waited. She waited for her only companion in this world of slumber to awake. Fluttershy lay on the ground, her chest rising and falling periodically.

_She should be up soon._ Luna thought to herself. Stifling a yawn, Luna continued to wait for the king's magic to wear off the yellow pony in front of her.

After what seemed like ages, Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, blinking at the harsh, sudden light that assaulted her face as the sun came over and cast the shadows away. She sat up, weary from her extended slumber in the Dream King's realm. She looked around, expecting to see the familiar townhouses of Ponyville, and the Everfree Forest looming in the distance, but was surprised to see the Canterlot Castle, perched on the mountain side, like a bird of prey waiting to strike. Her eyes continued to wander, and eventually found the princess of the night's gaze bore into her.

"Fluttershy," Princess Luna spoke, trying to keep her voice down, as if somepony might overheard, "are you alright?"

Fluttershy blinked. Once. Twice. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, and met Luna's gaze once more.

"Huh?" Her voice was soft. The drowsiness the surrounded her clouded her senses, and impaired her hearing.

"Are you alright?" Luna repeated, this time louder.

Fluttershy shook her head to clear her mind, and gazed down the steps into the city of Canterlot. "Ye-yeah." She continued to peer down into the streets, and noticed something very strange. Ponies were scattered around the streets, laying as if they all unanimously decided to just take a nap where they stood. "What happen?"

Luna followed Fluttershy's gaze, and frowned. "They are under the influence of a pony by the name of the Dream King. I'll tell you the story later, for it is long, and there are things that must be done." Luna started trotting down the steps of stone and granite to enter the city Canterlot, that normally would be bustling and full of excitement, but on this day, was quiet and undisturbed.

Fluttershy had to run to catch up, her mind full of questions, and her face clouded with concerns for her friends and the little critters she cared for. As if reading her thoughts, Luna spoke up.

"Angel and all your animal friends are safe." Luna reassured Fluttershy. "His magic only affects ponies, luckily."

Fluttershy thought on this for a moment. She came to two conclusions on this: she couldn't see how that was lucky and; she was scared. All of Equestria had been put asleep by a mad pony, and only Princess Luna and she made it out.

"What are you going t-to do?" Fluttershy worked up the courage to ask. Normally, her soft demeanor would make it near impossible to hear her, but in the silence of the sleeping city, her voice carried farther than she wanted, as if she were afraid she would awake somepony.

"Bring your friends back from the Dream King's realm of slumber," Luna stated, "and then use the Elements of Harmony to bring all of Equestria back."

The king trotted around his room. He just COULDN'T believe that this happened. A pony escaped from HIS realm? This was unheard of. Not just anypony, though. It was the pony Fluttershy, Bearer of the Element of Kindness. This was bad.

_What do you make of this?_ He spoke to his subconscious once more, pacing around, trying to figure out how this could've happened. _Well? Don't leave me in the dark here._

His subconscious was silent, as if it hadn't existed. This, too, worried the Dream King. Everything went along smoothly. Nothing that could mess up his plan. Then, all of a sudden, one of the Bearers escapes his kingdom back into the waking world, and his subconscious seemed to have followed them out. How could all this happen all at once?

_It doesn't seem as if it all happened by chance._ He thought. _This was all planned, but who could have done all this? Fluttershy isn't a unicorn, so she couldn't have pulled off such a magical feat. The only unicorns powerful enough to do it are Twilight Sparkle and Celestia, both of which are under my control, completely unaware of my deceit and treason._

Luna and Fluttershy trot down the streets, making their way through the city. It was quite eerie, all the silence. Several attempts at conversation were made, but ended quickly. Now, the two ponies walked in silence. Finally, Fluttershy broke the silence that was holding a strong grip on the entire country.

"Where are we going?" She asked, timidly.

"We are heading back to Ponyville, to locate your friends. It will be easiest to locate them in the Dream King's realm of sleep if we are near the physical body of the pony." Luna spoke so regally, and with so much confidence, you couldn't help but believe her. They continued south for a few more miles before Fluttershy decided to ask another question.

"Who is the Dream King?" She asked, not sure what to think of the tyrannical ruler that was holding all her friends hostage in his realm.

"As I've told you before, the story is a long one," Luna repeated. "and I would rather tell the story once to all of you, rather than six times to each of you individually. Before you ask, we will be getting Rarity first. She is low of the king's 'radar', and bringing her out will be easy."

The king kept pacing. Several hours passed, and his subconscious still was missing. After all this time, he was no closer to finding out who had done it than when he started. For some reason, and name he couldn't recall came to mind several times. He felt as if knowing this name would solve everything, but he couldn't get it out, no matter how hard he tried. It was like some kind of mental block formed over his mind, keeping him from getting it.

_Who __**is**__ this elusive pony, and why didn't I sense their presence before?_ He continued to pace. His maid, Celestia trotted in, carrying a cup of coffee with her. Seeing the king pace back and forth so ferociously made her uneasy.

"S-sir?" Celestia trotted forward, trying to get his attention.

"Wha?" He turned. "I'm fine. Just put the cup there." He gestured with his hoof to a nightstand next to his bed, with covers that resembled the night sky. Celestia floated the cup to where he specified, and left the room. While she left, he enveloped his magic around the door, and closed it.

He resumed his thought. As he thought, he occasionally took sips from his coffee. This was really starting to bother him.

_Who? Who? Who?_ He kept repeating in his mind. _Who is this pony?_

Suddenly, something came to him. He remembered an old mare tale.

_Could the Mare in the Moon myth have truth to it?_ He thought. If so, then the sister of the night would possess such a power. Now what was her name? he continued to think, and abruptly, one thing came to him. The letter L stood out to him. He was one step closer to stopping this rogue pony, and ruling Equestria for all eternity.


	12. Plan B

_If the Mare in the Moon is true,_ The king continued to speak to himself, _then this "L" is the one pony who stands in between me and my goal. I __**MUST**__ stop her at all costs._

Luna and Fluttershy took flight, soaring over the rest of the city full of the bewitched ponies trapped in a false reality. By flying, they reduced their time by two fold, even if Fluttershy wasn't a good flier. Both ponies were anxious, ready to end the silence, and bring life back to their home. The only way was to go back into the _his_ realm.

As the city started to fade into the distance, the forests and smaller settlements scattered across Equestria started popping up, here and there. All were just like Canterlot; silent, and void of conscious ponies. The fact that the king's magic could reach all across of the country surprised both the Night Princess and the timid, pale yellow Kind.

Finishing off his coffee, the king tossed the cup to the side, it's side rolling dangerously close to the edge of the balcony. At this point, he didn't care. If L awoke all the Bearers, his plan would be ruined. It was time to try Plan B.

The king sun around, his silver cape flowing outward around him. Striding forward, he reached his dresser, and opened it. Inside, a set of polished, silvery armor lay on a ponnequin. Levitating it, he donned the elegant battle armor, and, extending his wings, set off out the balcony.

He flew over the city that, if not prevented, would soon be taken from him. His horn glowing, he focused. Straining, a light film of silvery magic started to encase the expansive city, shrouding it. Beads of sweat started to pop up on the king's forehead from the strain. The barrier started to enclose the city, shrinking. Ponies, terrified, ran from the field of magic fast approaching them. They all ran to one center point, the castle. Escaping the barrier was impossible for everypony on the inside. Soon, as the passed over them painlessly, they dropped, asleep.

"I did it." He said, landing. He was panting, out of all energy from sending all of his subjects deeper into the dream realm. "Now I just need to follow suit." He focused, a faint glow surrounding him.

He started to fade, being that he no longer owned a physical form in reality. Suddenly, the magic burst, bringing him back. He collapsed, unable to stand. He had exerted too much energy to attempt to go deeper in his realm without fading completely out of existence. Since this mental form was the only one that he had, having it leave this realm without a tether would ultimately destroy him. If L and her companion, Fluttershy came to stop him now, there was nothing he could do to stop them.

Within minutes, Ponyville came into focus. Right in time, as well. Fluttershy could fly for too much longer, or she'd drop out of the sky, making her more of a rock than a pegasus. To assist her, Luna enveloped Fluttershy in a field of levitation, just in case fatigue took over her body, making her drop.

They landed in the outskirts of the small town. Fluttershy, aweary from the flight, collapsed on the grass, falling asleep immediately. Smiling, Luna plucked her from the ground like she were nothing more than a saddlebag of parchment. Ahead of them, the town center lay, the streets littered with ponies' sleeping bodies, all their mental states inside the Dream King's domain.

Somehow, in all that had transpired in the last few hours, the king found it possible to relax and sleep. His sleep was restless and fitful. He did not retreat deeper by natural rest, that only happened if he sent somepony deeper. No, he had dreams inside his dream realm.

He trotted down a path. The land was barren, all except for a few trees here and there, all of which were dead. It was a full moon, and the stones cracked between his hooves and the hard dirt beneath them. Abruptly, the ground opened up into an enormous crevasse, swallowing him whole. All light blocked out, he lit his horn, using it as a makeshift flashlight. What he saw froze him in his tracks. In front of him, lay a skeleton in a room too familiar. What he saw was the skeleton of somepony he knew too well, himself. He only knew it was him, because his right hoof was cracked, making it uneven with the left, as it was to him in life.

"This," A voice spoke, a sense of disapproval in it's voice that sounded as familiar as the room looked, "is what became of you, Dream Weaver." He already knew this, but the voice spoke it in such a way, that he could help but fear. "This is because you defied what was sacred, and took sacred life for the sake of taking it. Why you did it, I'll never know, but I do know that if you had come to us, this could have been prevented."

The king struggled to move, to run, to do **something** besides stand there horrified. Despite all his mental protests, his body refused to oblige him.

"I wish this had never happened." The voice spoke. "I may not have been around to see it, but the books tell all I need to know. I know of you past, Dream Weaver, and I can guess at what potential you could of had, but you threw it away because you saw no other way out."

"**STOP!**" He sprang from his spot on the street, breathing hard. The dream had been so real, it seemed as if it were true.

_No,_ He thought, calming down, _there is no way it was true. My mind is just toying with me. I should start head..._

Something interrupted his thoughts. A strange entity, no two, entered his realm, unannounced. It was them. It had to be. No pony besides his nemesis, L, and her companion, Fluttershy, could come here without him bringing them. It was time to meet his guests.


	13. L and the King

Luna and Fluttershy entered the Dream Realm for the second time. What they saw surprised them beyond all matters. Expecting a bustling city full of ponies, oblivious to the truth, they were greeted by the exact opposite. The entire empire built on lies of the Dream King, was deserted, as if it was never inhabited.

Trotting down Forsworn Drive in the residential district, the entire place was void of pony life. It was quite unnerving. Fluttershy started to whimper out of fear.

_No doubt this is an act by the Dream King._ Luna thought to herself. _How he managed to pull it off, though, is a different dream entirely._

"W-what do we do now, princess?" Fluttershy questioned, scared. "There's no pony here."

"Yes," Luna responded, her voice trailing off, as if she, too, were not within the same dream as Fluttershy. "quite."

All of a sudden, an echoing voice rang out, filling the silent air with evil. It laughed a full, hearty, laugh, as if Luna had told a funny joke. The voice continued for several minutes.

"Well, well, well," The king's voice rang out, "it looks like the everything is on the other hoof now. There is nothing you can do to stop me and my plan."

"Heh." Luna smirked. " You haven't changed."

The Dream King materialized in front of the two ponies. "You must be 'L'. I don't believe we've met."

"No," Luna confirmed, "we haven't, but I've been silently observing you over the years since I returned from the Moon."

"No matter." The king dismissed her with his hoof. "I've won, 'L'. Celestia is under my control, along with pretty much all of Equestria. Face it, you've lost. I've hidden all of Equestria from even you, the Princess of the Night."

Luna was quite, and Fluttershy whimpered. After the king said this, Luna's face became a mask, making reading her expressions impossible. The king stared at her, perplexed.

_Not quite._ His subconscious spoke up after it's unannounced vacation. This time, though, it's voice had changed. instead of sounding similar to his own voice, it had a feminine touch to it. Instantly, he understood.

_It's been you._ He replied, shocked. His perplexed expression was replaced by one of shock and awe.

"All this time, you've been in my head, leading me on." He said, backing away from the princess. "You've pulled the sheep's wool over my eyes this entire time! That means..." he paused.

"Yes." Luna spoke once more, dissolving the mask that hid her face. Smiling, she looked into his eyes. "I know where my sister and friends are, and stopping us is futile. I'm sorry, Dream Weaver, but this is what must be done."

Darting his eyes between Princess Luna and Fluttershy, fear filled his eyes, tears started to well in his eyes. "NO!" He exclaimed, true desperation showing in his voice. "I **REFUSE** to give up! I can't be alone again!" He charged, lowering his head, aiming it at Luna. During this, his concentration faltered, and failing. The entire realm started to fluctuate.

On the spur of the moment, all of the ponies trapped within the lower layer of the dream reappeared, as if they never left.


	14. Returning to the Plan

In the confusion, the King stopped, raising his head. The constant use of his power made him weak, and he stumbled. Everypony in the vicinity stopped to watch. The King was causing a scene, getting unwanted attention from the citizens.

"This isn't over." He spoke, looking into Luna's eyes. "I will stop you, L." With that, he spread his wings, and flew off, dipping slightly from fatigue.

Fluttershy reached up to catch him, but Luna stopped her. Looking up confused, Fluttershy was about to question the Princess of the Night. Luna answered before she was able to ask.

"What he said was the truth." Luna looked down, smiling at Fluttershy. "We will confront him soon enough and besides, without the Elements, beating him won't help."

"But..." Fluttershy tried to argue, but was cut off once again.

Luna looked back up to the King's castle, her smile dissolving. "His magic, like Discord's, can only be reversed with harmony. Incapacitating him now would accomplish nothing but proving we are no better than he."

Luna and Fluttershy trot down the roads, turning every now and then. Even with Luna's magic, locating all of Fluttershy's friends would prove difficult. Unlike the King's location spell, it just gives the general area of the pony she seeks. They turned down Forsworn Drive, and ran right into Twilight Sparkle on her way home.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy nearly knocked over Twilight hugging her. "I'm so glad we found you!"

"Uh," Twilight looked at Fluttershy questioningly, "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't know you."

"Fluttershy," Luna trotted over to Fluttershy, "She's still under the King's spell. Her memories haven't returned yet." Turning to Twilight, Luna smiled. "Twilight Sparkle, we need your help."

Twilight openly showed her distrust towards to Princess of the Night. "With what, may I ask?"

"The King has been tricking all of Equestia, and we need your help to free all of ponykind from him." Luna explained, approaching Twilight, extending her hoof. "Let me cast my spell, and you will see."

Twilight contemplated this for some time. Her distrust towards Luna was equivalent to her suspicion to her king. "Fine, show me the truth."

Luna smiled, and then turned to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, would you please go and find Twilight's sleeping body? It should still be in the Canterlot Garden." A dark blue magic enveloped Luna's horn, and Fluttershy disappeared in a flash of light. "Now let's wait for her to find your body."

They waited for a couple of minutes to give Fluttershy plenty of time to reach the castle from Ponyville. In that time, Luna admired what the Dream King was able to create with him magic. It level of complexity that he showed in the buildings rivaled her own power, but then on the other hoof, he's had hundreds of years to build all this. Finally, Luna spoke.

"Okay," She said, returning her attention to Twilight, "I think it's time." She trot forward, and placed her horn on Twilight forehead. "This will only take a second." Her horn was then enveloped by a field of dark blue magic which soon spread, encasing Twilight in the same magical field. Concentrating hard, Luna poured much of her power into Twilight, trying to release her from the Dream King's spell. finally, after some time, it worked, and Twilight disappeared in a flash of light similar to Fluttershy. Luna then followed suit.

Twilight opened her eyes, blinking from the sudden light that assaulted her eyes when she woke up. Fluttershy giggled, knowing exactly what that was like first hand. After her eyes adjusted, she saw Fluttershy and jumped to hug her.

"Oh Fluttershy," Twilight said, "It's so good you're okay. I'm sorry for bringing you and everypony else into this!"

She let Fluttershy go, and smiled. Then realizing that Luna wasn't with them, she became worried. Looking to her friend, she opened her mouth to question about the disappearance of their lunar princess, but was cut off.

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna's voice rang out, loud and clear. Twilight gazed up at the sky, awaiting her princess's form to appear in the distance. "it seems you made it out."

"Yes, my princess." Twilight responded, still trying to find the location of Princess Luna. "What are to do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Luna spoke, her location being revealed, flying down to greet the two. "We must locate the other four of your friends and then confront the King of Dreams himself."

The three traversed the sleeping city, avoiding the sleeping forms of ponies still trapped inside the king's realm. Considering that Twilight couldn't fly, the trek would take significantly longer than if it was just Luna and Fluttershy, but leaving Twilight wasn't an option. As they reached the outskirts of Canterlot, Twilight proposed an idea.

"How about this:" She started up, breaking the ever present silence found in the sleeping Equestria. "how about I teleport all of us back to the Ponyville Library?"

"But Twilight, wouldn't that tire you out?" Fluttershy responded, worried.

"Maybe," Twilight admitted, "but it sure beats trotting to Ponyville on hoof for a couple days."

Luna stopped, and turned to face the duo of friends, "She has a point. It would take a considerable amount of time to travel to Ponyville on hoof. Okay Twilight Sparkle, preform your teleportation spell."

The three of them braced themselves as Twilight's horn started glowing. It started dim, but quickly grew quite bright, illuminating the darkness enveloping the kingdom, inching it's way across the landscape. The glow eventually flashed brightly, and was gone, taking the three ponies with them.

The three of them appeared in the main room of the library, scaring one young dragon, on his way to bed. On his way up, the trio flashed in, and he fell down the stairs he was currently trying to climb.

"Whoa!" Spike yelped as he fell. Once he reached the bottom, he picked himself up, and looked at the sudden arrival of the three ponies. "Twilight? Where have you been?"

"I'll explain later." She said, nearly falling over from exhaustion.


	15. Rest

So Princess Luna," Twilight said, wearily, "where to?" Spike had already returned to his original task of going to bed.

"Well," Luna replied, turning to look out to the town as the moon rose over the horizon, peaking over several of the smaller buildings in the town. "The King is weak from his last major spell still, but he is expecting us." The Princess of the Night turned to face her sister's faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. "Entering his dream realm now is just what he expects, but we don't have much of a choice."

Perplexed, Twilight responded. "What do you mean, 'not much of a choice'? We could go when he isn't expecting us."

"True," Luna faced away, admiring the moon rise a little longer. "but we stand no chance against him at his fullest. You must remember, Twilight Sparkle, that it's a dream, and more importantly, his dream. He has complete control over the terrain as long as he has the power to do such. Right now, he is too exhausted to alter what is already there."

"So when do we leave?" Twilight was getting impatient. Ponies' lives could be at risk, along with her friends. "If what you say is true, then we should leave now." She attempted to trot over to Luna, but immediately collapsed, hitting the floor hard.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy, who had been silent up to now fluttered over to her fallen friend. "Are you okay?"

"_That_ is why we don't leave." Luna gestured with her hoof to Twilight, no longer admiring her night, all her attention focused on the purple unicorn. "All of us are worn out and unfortunately while in the Dream Realm, our bodies aren't in a resting state."

"So we should wait?" Twilight panted, straining to her hooves. "Didn't you just say that we didn't have that option?"

"That's right." Fluttershy chipped in, turning to face Luna.

"You are correct, Twilight, as always." Luna divided her attention between the books in the library and the two of the only ponies capable of beating The Dream King. "I did say waiting was the one thing we cannot afford to do, for too long. While the King can't defeat us in his current state, we can't do much either without some rest. Don't you worry, Fluttershy and Twilight, we only need a few hours of true sleep. Afterwards, we shall start on taking back Equestria."

Both ponies listened to the princess with as much attention they could muster. Once she finished, both were too exhausted to argue and try to change Luna's mind, and headed off to the bedroom for the rest their princess insisted they needed. Luna turned back to the window, examining the moon and her night once more, not knowing how long it'll be before she see's it again. Dream Weaver has, no doubt, challenges that they will have to overcome before they can emerge victorious.

"Princess Luna," Fluttershy called down the stairs to the Princess of the Night, who was lost in thought, "are you coming?"

"Huh?" Luna shook herself out of her thoughts, turning to look at the small, yellow pegasus. "Yeah, I'm coming." Luna took one last look at the moon, shining light onto the slumbering nation, still under a mislead villain. "Maybe there is a chance..."


	16. Dreams

The king gazed over his kingdom once more, feeling dreadful. From here, he could view the entirety of his creation. Looking at it, he started to cry. A single tear rolled down his creek before he straightened up, the door to his room opening. It was Celestia, his head maid and personal servant.

"Sir, are you okay?" She said, seeing the lone drop hit the floor with a soft _plop_.

"Yes," The king replied, turning to face his servant, "I'm quite alright. You may take your leave, I will not require your assistance anymore tonight."

Celestia looked to her king, worry showing through her face, but at his insistence, she turned and left. Enveloping the ornate silver doors inlaid with an obsidian trim in his dark blue magic, closing them with ease. As he did so, he returned to his balcony, gazing over his domain.

_After what has happened,_ He thought to himself, the stars blazing and flickering in the night sky, the constellations decorating the infinite beyond even more, _I am not strong enough to fend off a direct assault if L would attempt such a thing. My only option is rest, and to hope for the best._

Wrapping the elegant silver armor he donned in the blue field of magic, he returned it to the ponnequin in the far corner of the room, and draped the sliver cape over the body of the statue, clasping it around the ponnequin's neck. Swiveling, he trot over to his bed, the stars on the night sheets seeming to shimmer as if they were real. The king pulled the covers back and lay down. His mind was racing at a million miles an hour, it would seem as if he would never find sleep, but it came swiftly, and without warning.

In his dream, the king found himself in a room. This room was simple, but something was off. There were no doors or windows visible at all. Panic consumed the king's mind, scrambling to find some way out, but there was no way out. Something flashed.

He turned to face what caused the blast of light, shocked by what he saw. L stood there, but others surrounded her. The six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony were gathered around her, all staring directly at him.

"So," He said, gazing into L's eyes, "this is how it ends? You and your friends strike me down, and re-banish me into the dream realm?" Before Princess Luna could respond, the scene changed in a bright flash of light, blinding the king.

He stood there, looking into the throne room of the Princesses, both of which were present. They sat at their thrones, neither of them taking their attention away from him. The stares of the two powerful mares made him uneasy, and he feared for what was going to happen. They were about to send him back into his realm, where he would be trapped for all eternity... again.

He gazed around the large room, with the large decorative windows painting pictures of great achievements in pony history. The six Bearers were here as well, he noted. Returning his attention to the two princesses, dread filled him. He couldn't be alone again. He met their gaze, and expected resentment to be present in their faces. What he saw shocked him. They were smiling, and not a smirk of victory, but a smile of happiness. This couldn't be real.

"Dream Weaver," Celestia spoke regally, the mention of his name making him uneasy, "I hereby decree..."

There came a rasping at the door, stirring the king from his sleep. Grudgingly, he stood, moving towards the door, pulling it open with his magic. Celestia stood there, her mane disheveled.

"My lord," She spoke, her voice expression weariness.

"What could be so important that you needed to wake me from my slumber?" He questioned grouchily.

"I apologize, my king. I wanted to ask you who that strange mare was."

"That," The king replied, annoyed, "is not of your business, Celestia. Please, go back to sleep."

"Yes sir." Celestia turned and left.

The king sighed, closing the doors and returned to his bed. This time, it was not easy trying to sleep. Him mind was still trying to process his dreams. After time, he shrugged it off as nothing more than a dream and relaxed. He fell asleep.

This time, the king found himself in an expansive place. He couldn't figure out where he was, he just knew he was not inside. The ground under his hooves was rough, like dry dirt. No wind was stirring, and the fog choked at him. It was so thick, he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of his hooves.

Wandering through the strange place, the darkness and fog throwing off his bearings, he heard something, or somepony moving. Following the sound, he encountered the source of the noise. It was L. L turned to face him.

"Well Dream Weaver," She addressed him formally, "it seems we are sharing the same dream here."

"L," He said menacingly, "what do you want?"

"Please Weaver, you can just call me Luna. No need for nicknames." Luna turned to stare into the darkness, sitting down. "As to what I want, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Why are you intruding upon my dreams?" He replies, his voice like daggers.

"You know why I intrude upon your 'kingdom'. As far as _this_ dream goes, I did not come here on my own will." Luna informed Dream Weaver calmly, his tone not bothering her at all. "While we are here though, we could talk. Fighting won't accomplish anything, considering that this is a dream neither of us control."

The king trot next to the Princess of the Night. Sighing, he sat next to her. His attention drifted around the nothingness that surrounded the two of them. He tried to gather something to talk about, but Luna beat him to it.

"Do you really think that your country can thrive and survive inside a dream realm that they are being held in against their will?" Luna questioned, facing him.

"Well," The question took him off guard. He didn't really know. "I..."

"Think about it Dream Weaver," She continued, "They only have the city that you created, and that's it. While it _is_ massive, it isn't nearly enough for a growing civilization."

"I could always expand."

"No, you can't." She said, sternly. "Even you should know that you are pushing your limits keeping all of Equestria in your realm while keeping the city from crumbling to pieces."

"But Luna," He started, "I can't just let them all go and be left alone. You don't understand what it's like being alone for such a long time."

"I do, though." Luna looked down, gazing at her hooves. "For a thousand, I was imprisoned in the moon for a thousand years. I understand what you were experiencing, but do you believe this is that best way to fix it?"

"What other options do I have?" Dream Weaver looked to Luna, tears forming in his eyes, threatening to fall.

"I understand what you're trying to say," Luna met his gaze. "but it is not too late for you. I have a proposition for you."

Suddenly, and without warning, Luna disappeared, leaving no trace that she was ever there. Confusion struck Weaver, but was quickly replaced by realization.

"So," He began, "she awoke. Quickly, by the look of it. Well, I should probably do the same." Clearing the tears from his eyes, he stood and focused. His horn glowed softly, but quickly grew to a bright, brilliant blaze of dark blue. The magic started to envelope his own body, and eventually went from translucent to an opaque pony shaped blob of magic. It then thinned, disappearing completely, the king along with it.


	17. Coincidence

"Princess Luna!" A voice pierced Luna's sleep, shortly followed by shaking. "Princess Luna, it's noon. Are you okay?" The voice belonged to Twilight Sparkle. "I've made you a daisy sandwich to eat."

Slowly, Luna rose from her bed, observing her surroundings. Finding Twilight, she smiled and took the meal from her. Trotting to look out the window, Luna thought about her series of dreams. One she knew for sure was a linked dream with Weaver. The other, a dream consisting of said Weaver being judged in front of both her sister and her. As far as she could tell, it was the outcome she was hoping for, but she couldn't be for sure if it was a premonition.

"So Princess," Twilight spoke again, breaking the Night Princess's thoughts, "when are we reentering the Dream King's realm?"

For several minutes, Luna continued to stare out towards Ponyville, with it's eerie silence, just like all of Equestria. "Soon." She responded, turning to face the purple unicorn who was her sister's star pupil, capable of casting virtually any spell thrown her way. An idea surfaced.

"Twilight," Luna called as Twilight Sparkle retreated back downstairs, "I have an idea that might cut the time it takes to defeat the King by half, if you're willing."

"What is your idea, Princess Luna?" Twilight responded a few seconds later, obviously interested. "If it is within my capability, I will do most anything to help the ponies from Equestria from this menace."

Looking a little saddened at how Dream Weaver was described, she elaborated on her plan. "It would require me to teach you how to cast two spells, both of which only two ponies in the world are capable of casting: Myself, and the Dream King. Are you up to it?"

Stirring, Dream Weaver finally got around to opening his eyes, drinking in the sight of his bedroom, relieved to have visible things within sight after his link dream. Never in his life would ever thought he would be happy to see barriers that restricted where he could go. Leaving the bed, Weaver focused and floated his armor from where it rest and slowly put it on. He couldn't shake the feeling that something game changing was about to happen, but he wasn't sure what exactly it was. It had something to do with his dreams last night, that much he knew for sure.

"Celestia!" He called out, ready to finally start the day and figure a plan out for stopping Luna and the six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

_This task won't be easy._ He thought to himself. _Stopping this band of ponies has never been done, but I believe I have a chance._ As he thought this, a piece of his linked dream with the Princess of Night resurfaced. _She had a proposition to offer me. Maybe it will change everything._

Celestia almost blew the door down when she ran straight into it. Sighing, Weaver pulled the door open, unlocking it in the process. Celestia bound in, clearly just up from bed, her mane disheveled and her uniform lopsided.

"My lord." She bowed awkwardly.

Weaver smiled, returning the bow, but stopping himself. "I wanted to know if you wanted to grab a bite."

The request took Celestia completely off guard, making her legs fall out from beneath her, face planting on the polished marble. Scrambling, she regained her hoofing and answered.

"I'd love to." She replied, feeling awkward. Weaver was as well. "May I ask why, though?"

Weaver turned from Celestia. "I just wanted to treat you out, considering all you do around here to help me." Under his breath, he added, "Also, I'll never get another chance to do something like this."

It took several hours, but eventually, Twilight got the hang of the two spells. The first one was to enter other ponies' dreams, and the second was to remove ponies from dreams, namely the ponies of Equestria from the Dream King.

The plan was to split up. Fluttershy and Luna was to go find Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and Twilight was to find Applejack and Pinkie Pie.

Strolling through the streets, Weaver and Celestia browsed the diverse restaurants that littered the city. Dream Weaver didn't care where he went, so he left it to Celestia to choose. She was holding out, not wanting to impose, and Weaver could tell.

"Go ahead," He spoke up, laughing a little, "choose any place you'd like. I'm the king, remember? Bits are of no value to me."

Squeeing a bit, Celestia trot over to a fancy restaurant. Normally, she would never be able to afford such a place to dine, but it was his word, and his word was law. This was the best day in her life.

Weaver stopped, sensing two things. Inside the restaurant, Rarity, one of the Bearers, was dining with her husband, Fancy Pants. The second was a strange anomaly. He, of course, knew it could be only Luna and her entourage, but this time, they were separate.

_Nothing I can do to stop them._ He thought to himself, knowing this to be truth. _If I were to go confront them, nothing would be gained from it. Anyways, I have Celestia here that I need to entertain._

He entered the eatery after her.

The lack of counteraction towards them was unnerving. The King should have struck out to stop them by now, but everything was going smoothly. Luna didn't know what to expect. Either way, she should focus on getting Rainbow Dash. She could feel that Twilight had already entered and was searching out Applejack.

Fluttershy squeaked, and Luna trot over to see what was wrong. Sighing, she turned away. Leave it to Fluttershy to be spooked by her own shadow.

As suspected, Rainbow Dash was up in the cloud district of the city. The only thing that will be difficult will be trying to convince her that they meant no harm. That and convincing Fluttershy to fly up there. With her luck, Luna will be lucky to get Fluttershy in the sky at all. A bird might fly by, frightening her out of the clouds.

After a couple hours in the real world, the three of them were able to rescue Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. The only pony left to retrieve from The King's domain was Rarity. It should be easy, everypony knew the location she was at The only problem was she was at the same restaurant as The Dream King.

"Alright everypony," Luna spoke to the five of them. Spike had left before the start of all this to watch all the pets at the request of Twilight and Fluttershy. "I have really appreciated all your help, but I'd like to get Rarity alone. I believe that Dream Wea... The Dream King is planning a trap, so I need somepony with the ability to get in the Dream Realm to get Rarity if I don't return."

No pony liked this plan, but Luna wouldn't take no for an answer. The Princess of the Night had to do this. The sun was setting in the distance while Luna prepared and rested for what was going to happen. The sky was crepuscular, the moon peaking it's face up over the horizon as Luna Flashed into the Dream Realm.

While Rarity wasn't looking, Luna sent her back, staying behind, having some business to settle with The Dream King. Trotting out of the fillies' room, she scanned the diner for Dream Weaver, spotting him with... her sister.

Luna trot up to him, fully expecting some trap to set off. Nothing happened. Celestia saw her before Dream Weaver turned to face her.

"I've been expecting you," He spoke, not facing Luna, his intruder. "and now you've come."

"Hello Dream Weaver, we meet again." Luna bowed respectfully, rising back up to see he had done the same.

"Celestia," He spoke, addressing his date while maintaining eye contact with Luna. "why don't you head back to the castle. Be read to report for work tomorrow. you have the rest of today off." After she had left their presence, Weaver spoke again. "Shall we continue this outside?"

The two ponies sat at the bank of one of the rivers that ran down the middle of the city, draining into a lake in the center. The silence dragged for some time, neither pony knowing not what to say. Finally, Luna broke it.

"The proposition." She spoke.

He turned to face her. "What was it?"

"I was going to offer you," Luna continued where she left off from their dream. "the chance of reform."

"I don't understand." He wrapped a stone in his dark blue magic, similar Luna's, and tossed it into the river.

"Celestia told me about you when I came back. For some time, We discussed releasing you at a chance to reform you like Twilight Sparkle and her friends did to me." Luna explained.

"It would never work. My heart is too dark, and my magic is unpredictable. I still never figured out how to revive ponies from those comas. This is the only way, and now you must leave, otherwise I will be forced to stop you." Weaver gazed deeply into Luna's eyes, tears brimming in both of their eyes. Dream Weaver fixed her with a fierce stare, one to challenge Fluttershy's. It was apparent that there was no way she could convince him like this.

"I didn't want to do this." She sighed, focusing. A magical veil covered Dream Weaver. "You've forced me to use this. Don't worry, we'll fix you."

A flash of light removed Dream Weaver from the riverbank. A single tear escaped before he was evicted. Luna followed suit, but left the realm completely.

Dream Weaver awoke in a dark room. Studying his surroundings, he panicked. The room had no windows, doors, or other means of escape. It was like his dream. He sat, calming himself down.

_This isn't so bad._ He thought to himself. _Luna and the main six ponies will be here soon and then... what? They banish me and release Equestria? No. Luna said she... they'll "fix" me. I don't believe it._

Suddenly, a bright light flashed in the room, and the seven ponies stood in the room with him. Turning, he faced them.

"So," He said, smiling because it all played out like his dream. He locked eyes with Luna. "this is how it ends? you and your friends strike me down, and re-banish me into the Dream Realm?"


	18. The End of the Dream King's Tyranny

"So, this is how it all ends? You and your friends strike me down and re-banish me to the Dream Realm?" The King locked eyes with the Princess of the Night, Luna. A smile played on his face, despite the coming turmoil of failing in his plan and the fact he will be alone once more. There was nothing for him to be smiling about, but he still did.

"Dream Weaver," Luna spoke regally, her face stern. "I have come to take Equestria back from your hooves. I hope you've thought about my proposal."

Dipping his head, Weaver's smile faded. He had thought about it. Quite a lot, actually. The chance at a new start. Who could pass that up? The only thing holding him back was himself.

"As I've told you," He replied, "The darkness in my heart is too great for something as trivial as friendship to banish. It would never work."

"You are like me, then." Twilight spoke up, stepping forward. "When I first arrived in Ponyville, friendship wasn't on my agenda of things I considered imperative to do to stop Nightmare Moon."

Luna nodded, agreeing. "Correct. If it wasn't for friendship, I wouldn't be here. I would still be Nightmare Moon. With the power of friendship, these six ponies conquered, trapped, and reformed Discord, the God of Chaos. Friendship is a powerful force."

"I don't think..."

"Give it a chance." Luna cut him off. "Please Dream Weaver, you deserve better than this."

Weaver stood there, gazing at the seven ponies in front of him. They were his enemies, but they weren't. They were working to stop him, but at the same time, help him. He contemplated their proposal. He made his decision.

"Okay." He said finally, meeting all of their eyes. "I'll give friendship a shot.

Several hours later, Dream Weaver stood in the royal throne room inside the Canterlot Castle. Stained glass windows lined the walls, depicting scenes of great accomplishment through friendship. A new one had already made it's debut, showing Princess Luna and the Mane Six talking to the Dream King, convincing him to leave and release Equestria from his spell. As Dream Weaver gazed around the room, his eyes lingered on that particular one.

To work around the fact that Dream Weaver's original body had withered, Twilight used a spell constructed by Weaver himself to bring the mental image of a pony into the real world. The reason Dream Weaver himself could not cast it is because it has to be used from outside the Dream Realm. His attention was redirected when the Princess of the Sun, Celestia, addressed him for the second time in his prolonged lifetime.

"Dream Weaver." Her voice matched that of Luna's. "Your crimes against ponykind are unforgettable. Even after your previous banishment for the deaths of many innocent ponies, you didn't stop. You manipulated several ponies and used your dream magic to trap all of Equestria inside the very land that you were banished to."

After hearing all this, Weaver shank back, the reality of it all crushing him. He knew what he had done over five hundred years ago, and recently, but hearing it spoke in such a way hurt more than eternal lone banishment.

"Even after all that, though," Luna spoke up, "We have entertained the notion of releasing you, hence why you stand here now."

"Yes." Celestia concurred. "Even though we will never forget what you've done, you shall be forgiven. You shall be released from your previous punishment..."

"And your recent misdeed shall go unpunished." Luna interjected.

He nearly collapsed. The thought that he would be allowed to live again lifted his spirits, but only for a second. A shattering realization came to him. He confronted the Princesses with it.

"My ladies," He spoke, bowing. "as much as I would like to accept your gifts, I cannot." This took them as much as himself by surprise.

"Why not, Dream Weaver?" Luna spoke, worried.

"Darkness still remains in my heart, and I can feel it festering inside, biding it's time." He elaborated, sadness showing through. "I don't want this darkness reaching into the hearts of other ponies. Even after I was blasted by the power of friendship from the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, it remains. There is no stopping it."

Celestia looked concerned, but smiled. "My little pony," She said to Dream Weaver, flying down to put a hoof on his shoulder, "you act as if there isn't darkness inside all of us. Even I have my evil. It doesn't stop me from being a good pony."

"It is true, Dream Weaver." Luna concluded. "Though Nightmare Moon was banished and I was able to regain control, it doesn't mean that evil is forever gone."

Something clicked in Weaver's head, setting off a spark. He realized what they were saying, knowing to be truth. "Okay. I understand now. I thank you for all you two have done."

"We aren't done yet," Celestia spoke, locking eyes with Dream Weaver. "We want to offer you a job here in Canterlot."

"Why me?" He asked, perplexed.

"Because you are quite a powerful unicorn, and the only one besides Twilight Sparkle and myself able to use dream magic." Luna explained.

"I think you could teach my Twilight quite a few things that neither Luna nor myself could teach her. Not to mention, there are no records of your dream magic in the Canterlot library, and only you know your spells."

"I thank you," Dream Weaver replied, "but I don't think I can do what you expect of me."

"Would you stop trying to sell yourself short of your true potential? You managed all of Equestria while constantly maintaining a spell to hold them, myself included." Celestia plead to Dream Weaver. "You'll make a fine scribe and mentor."

"Thank you." Dream Weaver looked to both of them, crying. He had finally proven his father wrong. He was more than a failure and a murderer and a kidnapper. He lived up to his mother's expectations of him doing something great. For once, he was happy.

Dream Weaver left the castle an hour later, after discussing housing with the Princesses. He went to go find Twilight Sparkle. He still had them to thank.

"Remind me why we're waitin' here in the rain?" Applejack asked Twilight as she floated umbrellas over all of them.

"I told Dream Weaver to come meet us here after he spoke with Princess Celestia." She replied. "Ah, there he is."

"What's he doing?" Rarity questioned as she watched Dream Weaver just stand out in the rain, letting himself get soaked. Finally, he trotted over.

"Hey," He said as he approached the six ponies. "thank you for staying, even though it's raining."

"I told you to meet us..." Twilight was cut off.

"Why were you _standing_ out in the _rain?_" Rarity interjected, obviously missing the joy Dream Weaver felt from getting wet for no reason.

"You wouldn't understand, Rarity." He responded. "I was imprisoned in the Dream Realm for over five hundred years. I never got to feel anything, let alone the rain. It felt nice to feel it hit my face. To know that I'm finally free."

"So," Twilight said, returning to what she was saying originally, "how'd it go? Hopefully the punishment isn't too harsh."

"Oh, it's just _TERRIBLE!_" He responded, pulling a luxurious lounging chair out of nowhere and falling on it, dramatically. Everypony snickered except Rarity, obviously annoyed by his impersonation of her.

"I'm just kidding," He said, removing the chair, "I'm not being punished. In fact, Princess Celestia offered me a job as a Canterlot scribe and your part time mentor."

"My... mentor?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"Yes." He answered her, smiling. "Apparently, you have the capability of learning pretty much every spell thrown your way, so Celestia wants me to teach you my dream spells before, after, or while I transcribe them."

"Well, you were let off easy." Twilight smiled. "I'm looking forward to your lessons."

Later that night, Dream Weaver was sitting in his house, sipping hot cocoa while he wrote down his spells. He yawned, stretching.

"Huh?" He said, confused. He looked to his back. "Oh." He smiled, shaking his head. "I forgot, I don't have wings anymore. Oh well. Maybe Twilight can teach me to teleport."

He returned to his transcribing, happy to finally have friends and a life. He may not be immortal, but at least now he's loved and not despised.


End file.
